Bridge-whist apparatus.



PATENTBD OCT. 22. 1907.

BRIDGE WHISTAPPARATUS.

`APPLICATION FILED APR. 19. 1906.

'ms NaRRIs PETERS co., WASHINGTON, n. c.

FRANK HURD, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

BRIDGE-WRIST APPARATUS.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Oct. 22, 1907.

Application filed April 19,1906. Serial No. 312,580.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, FRANK B. HURD, a citizen of the United States,residing at the borough of Manhattan, in the city, county, and State ofNew York, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Bridge-Whist Apparatus, of which the following is a specification, referencebeing had therein to the accompanying drawings, which form a partthereof.

My invention relates to bridge whist apparatus, and more particularly toa class thereof especially adapted for use in playing two handed bridgewhist wherein each player plays from a dummy hand.

The main object of the invention is to provide a bridge whist apparatusembodying in compact and convenient form card racks, each adapted tohold the cards of a dummy hand of one player in a manner to entirelyconceal the faces thereof from an opponent while exposing them tohimself; and at the same time to hold each card apart from every othercard in this rack so as to permit it to be removed from the rack withoutdisturbing or exposing adjoining cards.

A further object is to provide an apparatus of this character embodyingcard supporting racks which will be so constructed and arranged as topermit the combination therewith of a complete apparatus wherein theracks, playing cards, score cards, and pencils or other means to be usedin recording the score, may be conveniently stored, the parts receivingsaid elements or members of the players outfit also serving when theracks are in use as a means properly positioning said racks relative toeach other, and further as a partition to hold the cards in each rackdistinct and apart from those in the other rack, thus preventing oneplayer from accidentally disturbing the dummy hand of his opponent.

A still further object is to provide an apparatus of this characterwherein all the cards in each rack will be simultaneously exposed to theplayer entitled to play from that dummy hand, and will be so positionedas to come fairly within the line of vision of the player when the rackis positioned on a table or playing board below his eye. And a stillfurther object is to provide an apparatus of this character embodyingall the essential elements or members for playing the game of bridgewhist, or means adapted to receive such, so arranged as to be capable ofbeing folded together, the receptacles for said elements or members whenso folded together forming a neat, compact cabinet which may be closedby a cover, thus protecting the various elements or members thereincontained when not in use.

The invention consist primarily in a new article of manufacture, abridge whist apparatus, comprising a support having a plurality ofparallel card receivers formed therein or carried thereby, saidreceivers being set at an angle relative to the support; and in suchother novel features of construction and combination of parts as arehereinafter set forth and described and more particularly pointed out inthe claims hereto appended.

Referring to the drawings: Figure l is a perspective view of a bridgewhi st apparatus embodying my invention showing cards in each rack; Fig.2 is a side elevation thereof with one side wing folded up and the otherdropped down, the cover of the cabinet being positioned directly above,and Fig. 3v is a plan view of the apparatus with both wings droppeddown.

Like letters refer to like parts throughout the several views. p

In the embodimentY of the invention shown in th e drawings, I have shownoppositely disposed card racks, each of which preferably consists of arectangular wooden support a having thirteen parallel card receivers aformed therein or carried thereby, and extended rearwardly from thefront of said support at an angle of substantially 45 degrees.Preferably these receivers are slots cut in said support of a depthsufficient to hold a card upright, and they are set at an angle asaforesaid, to permit the rack so made being so set as to have all thecards contained therein face the player, and to expose a good part ofeach card along the front of the rack the index corner of each cardespecially being exposed. This arrangement also projects the front edgeof each card beyond that of an adjoining card, and holds the cards soapart that the player may readily grasp any card and remove it from therack without touching or disturbing any other card. Said slots or otherreceivers, a are also preferably set at an angle to a vertical planethrough said support so as to project each card away from a player andbring it squarely within the line of vision, when the rack is positionedon a table or playing board below the eye of the player. The cardreceivers 0/ on the opposite supports a preferably extend on the same orparallel lines, so that when cards are placed therein, they will facethe player and present only the backs of the cards to his opponent, thusavoiding the exposure of either playerks dummy hand to his opponent.

To insure the proper positioning of the card racks relative to eachother, I preferably mount each support a upon a side wing b which wingsrespectively are hinged to the opposite sides of a central section c,thusforming an extended base for said supports, and permanently unitingthem. I also preferably provide the section c with a partition d of thesame or greater length than said supports a, extending parallel to saidsupports, which partition prevents cards in the receivers of one rackbeing pushed against or accidentally mixed with those in the oppositerack, either when distributing the cards of the dummy hand or inremoving the cards therefrom as played.

To increase the utility of the apparatus, I utilize the partition d as asupport for straps or strips e, fand g forming respectively a pocket forscore cards as e extending substantially the full length of saidpartition on one side thereof, and pockets for packs of cards as f/ g/on the other side thereof. Suitable bottom blocks, or pedestals may bearranged beneath the straps f g to project the score cards or playingcards beyond the top of the partition d suflicicntl y to permit theconvenient removal of said cards from their pockets.

Extending across each end of the section c from hinge to hinge of theside wings b, is an end piece h of a height corresponding to the widthof the said wings b and exceeding the height of the partition d, Whichpartition extends from one end piece to the other, said end pieces withthe side wings l) when folded up forming a cabinet adapted to have acover t' fitted thereover to close same and protect the Avariousarticles therein contained, Care must be taken to have the section c ofa width sulficient to'provide room beyondithe straps cf g to accommodatethe supports a when the side wings are folded up. Preferably l extendthe said wings beyond the supports a and to a point where the endsthereof, when the wings are folded up, will abut against th e side edgesof the end pieces h, and thus insure the neat appearance of the cabinetwhen closed.

The supports a are preferably about h alf the width of a playing cardand of the side wings b, and are so positioned toward the edge of thesaid wings as to provide a space on the wings b between said supportsand the section c, wherein I place small loops j adapted to receivepencils as j/ The herein described apparatus is especially designed foruse in two handed or double dummy bridge whist and in describing' how itmay be used, a general outline only of that game -is required. Thedealer, as in the regular game, deals four hands of thirteen cards each,and each player bids from one hand and allows the other hand allotted tohim to remain buried until the trump has been named. Thereupon eachplayer takes his dummy hand and arranges the cards by suits or accordingto the value of the cards, in the receivers a of the support a towardhim, with the cards facing outwardly or away from the partition d.

The receivers of extending at an angle of approximately i5 degrees, theentire apparatus may be set to one side of the table or board leaving afree field for each play. When so set, by slight shifting of theapparatus, the cards in each rack may be brought to squarely face theplayer' who is to play from that hand, the protruding ends or sides ofthe cards in each rack exposing enough of every card in the rack toidentify that card. 'lhe partition d serves to prevent the cards ineither rack being accidentally pushed therefrom to an extent to causethem to mix with the cards in the other rack. lt will also be observedthe receivers a being spaced apart, there is sullicient rooln betweenthe cards to permit the protruding ends or sides of any card to begrasped without danger of disturbing and exposing other cards. The cardshaving been so distributed, the game is played in the usual manner, onecard being played from his own-hand and one fiom the dummy hand of eachparticipant in the game to each trick.

When a game is ended, the unused score cards are placed in the pocketformed by the strap e the decl; of cards f or gf, within one pocketformed by the strap f or g; and the pencils jf within their loops j andthe side wings b are then folded upon the end pieces h and the cover 'L'placed thereover to hold them in this position.

It will be observed that the most important features of my invention isthe arrangement of the receivers in a manner to hold each card apartfrom every other card, and all the cards upon substantially parallellines at an angle of approximately 45 degrees from the support for saidreceivers, thus permitting all said cards to be spread out similarly tothe method employed inliolding cards, with the face towards the playerand enough of each card exposed to identify it, the other features'being detailed means for conveniently carrying out this broad idea. Itis my intention, therefore, to claim this construction and arrangementbroadly, the details being susceptible of variations without departingfrom t' e spirit and scope of the invention considered broadly.

The manner of uniting the various parts of the cabinet l have notdescribed in det-ail, the same being a part of the box makers7 art andforming no part of this invention. Preferably l employ cardboard coveredand united with pebbled paper, but leather, wood or other material maybe substituted therefor.

Having described my invention, what I claim as new and desire to haveprotected by Letters Patent is:

1. As :i new article of manufacture, a bridge whist apparatus comprisinga central section, side wings, hinged to, and adapted to be foldedagainst, said central section, and a card rack carried by each of saidwings comprising a block having a plurality of parallel slots thereincut :it an angle to the edge of the block, said blocks being of athickness to be contained by said central section when said wings :irefolded relative to said central section.

2. As a new article ot' manufacture, a bridge whist apparatus comprisinga central section, side wings hinged thereto,` end pieces, a card ruckcarried by each said wings, comprisingl a plurality of parallel cardreceivers pitched at an angie relative to the front of each ot' saidwings and means adapted to secure said parts in a closed position whensaid wings are folded against said end pieces.

As a new article of manufacture, a bridge whist apparatus comprising acentral section, side wings hinged thereto, end pieces, a partition onsaid central section connecting said end pieces, a card rack carried byeach of said wings, and :i cover adapted to inclose the top edges ofsaid side wings :ind said end pieces.

4. As a new article of manufacture, a bridge whist apparatus comprisinga central section, side wings hinged thereto, end pieces, a partition onsaid central section connecting said end pieces, a card rack carried byeach said wing comprising a block support having a plurality of parallelslots therein cut at an angle of substantially '-15 degrees to the frontof said block, and a cover adapted to inclose the top edges of said sidewings and said end pieces.

l5. As a new article of manufacture, a bridge whist apparatus comprisinga central section, side wings hinged thereto. end pieces, a partition onsaid central section connecting Vsaid end pieces, a plurality of strapsforming pockets on opposite sides of said partition adapted to i'eceivescore cards and playing cards, loops adapted to receive a pencil on eachsaid wing, a card rack carried by each said wing comprising a blocksupport having a plurality ot' parallel slots therein cut at an angle ofsubstantially l5 degrees to the front of said block, and a cover adaptedto inclose the top edges of said side wings and said end pieces.

In witness whereof, I have hereunto atlixed my signature, this 10th dayof April, 1906, in the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

FRANK B, HURD.

Witnesses z Jol-1N B. OLLnn, HENRY C. Jamin.

